The Story Left Untold
by LilyHermiaCullen
Summary: What if the Cullens had refused to leave Forks after Bella's unfortunate birthday party? Edward is forced to stay, and see what his absence does to Bella, while he is trying to shield his own pain behind a careful, nonchalant mask. Set in New Moon.
1. Preface

The Story Left Untold

_**Summary: **__**What if the Cullens had refused to leave Forks after Bella's unfortunate birthday party? Edward is forced to stay, and see what his absence does to Bella, while he is trying to shield his own pain behind a careful, nonchalant mask. Set in New Moon. **_

_This story is published under this account of LilyHermiaCullen and is solely owned as property of LilyHermiaCullen. It may not be copied, published or posted elsewhere. I do not claim to own the characters that I write about, only the actual story._

_The Story Left Untold © 2010 LilyHermiaCullen. Twilight ©, New Moon ©, Eclipse © and Breaking Dawn © 2003-2010 Stephenie Meyer._

Of late, eternal condor years  
So shake the very Heaven on high  
With tumult as they thunder by,  
I have no time for idle cares  
Through gazing on the unquiet sky;  
And when an hour with calmer wings  
Its down upon my spirit flings,  
That little time with lyre and rhyme  
To while away—forbidden things—  
My heart would feel to be a crime  
Unless it trembled with the strings.

Romance by Edgar Allan Poe

PREFACE

Because I knew that we were done, and doomed, I desperately held on to the one piece of our small forever as the other boy that I loved fought to protect me. His eyes shone brilliantly as he persistently thought we were going to win. Even if we did survive this most violent feud, I knew there was no way for us in the end. I loved him far too much, and still not nearly enough. Not far, behind the forest of another everlasting love, a wolf howled.

**A/N: **_**I know this is terribly short, but it's a preface. I vaguely considered putting the first chapter in here, too, but decided against it. Now, I know there's another story out with the same plot, but there will be very small, if not nonexistent, similarities, and they will all be coincidental. **_

_**I love to hear from you, so please tell me what you think in a review. All reviewers will get a sneak peak of the next chapter. I also love talking to other obsessive Twilight fans like myself, do please, PM or review me about what you thought of Eclipse (the movie), when you're birthdays are (so I can dedicate a chapter to you and maybe even name a character after you), when you're getting married, when you're pregnant, when you get a promotion. Anything! The Twilight community households such amazing people. **_

_**Guess that's it for my rambling. The A/N is longer than the preface. Ha, fail! **_

_**This story is currently unbeta'd so please forgive any mistakes in punctuation, grammar or otherwise. All offerings are gladly appreciated. **_

_**Review!**_

_**-Lily**_


	2. Chapter 2

The Story LeftUntold

1. Where the Story Ends

_**Summary: **__**What if the Cullens had refused to leave Forks after Bella's unfortunate birthday party? Edward is forced to stay, and see what his absence does to Bella, while he is trying to shield his own pain behind a careful, nonchalant mask. Set in New Moon. **_

_This story is published under this account of LilyHermiaCullen and is solely owned as property of LilyHermiaCullen. It may not be copied, published or posted elsewhere. I do not claim to own the characters that I write about, only the actual story._

_The Story Left Untold © 2010 LilyHermiaCullen. Twilight ©, New Moon ©, Eclipse © and Breaking Dawn © 2003-2010 Stephenie Meyer_

Edward leaned against a tree and stared at me, his expression unreadable.

"Okay, let's talk," I said. It sounded braver than it felt.

He took a deep breath.

"Bella, I can't do this anymore."

I took a deep breath, too. I was prepared for this, leaving Forks with his family. Although that was what I guessed that was what he proposed, his choice of words confused me, and I had to ask. "What?"

"I'm not human, and I am tired of pretending that I am. I am not human." He looked back, and the icy planes of his perfect face were not human. "I've let this go on much too long, and I'm sorry for that. We would have moved away, and let you live your life in peace, but it's just too suspicious right now—maybe next year." His tone was formal, and friendly; but there was nothing else. No attachment, no love.

"What are you saying?" My voice shook and broke, and my hands itched to grab him and tell him to never say anything like that again. "You don't—," I started to ask, but the sentence died on my lips.

"It doesn't have anything to do with you." His eyes were cold and smoldering, and his voice was melting velvet as he spoke the words with hard finality. "I'm just not like you."

"What happened with Jasper—that was nothing, Edward! Nothing!"

"You're right," he agreed. "It was exactly what was to be expected."

"This is about my soul, isn't it?"I shouted, furious, the words exploding out of me—somehow it still sounded like a plea. "Carlisle told me about that, and I don't care, Edward. I don't care! You can have my soul. I don't want it without you—it's yours already!"

He took a deep breath and stared, unseeingly, at the ground for a long moment. His mouth twisted the tiniest bit. When he finally looked up, his eyes were different; harder—like the liquid gold had frozen solid.

"Bella, I don't want you anymore," my mind swam incoherently, desperately trying to wake up from this nightmare, but finding no escape.

"You …don't…want me?" My voice was just a whisper now; awareness was beginning to seep through me, trickling like acid through my veins.

He just stared at me, and I could see from his eyes that my words were far too late. He already had.

"No." I died, just then. "I honestly can't see how I ever did. It was foolish of me to think that this could ever work out."

"No!" My whole frame was shaking violently in response to his words. _He didn't want you! _Some inner part of me was shouting. _He never did!_ I told her to go to hell.

"Don't do this, Edward." I pleaded unreasonably. There was no sign of him giving in while a pregnant silence towered over us. I still tried to convince myself, my sanity, that this was just a dream. A nightmare, no less.

"You just don't belong in my world, Bella."

I tried to protest again, tried telling him that I belonged with him, but all that came out of me was a sigh. I couldn't find my lips, or say the words I needed. I was numb—dead, soon, too, maybe. For a split second, I almost wished Victoria would come for me. But then I thought of Charlie, and Renée, and I'd rather live my life in misery than know that they would be miserable over my death. When there'd been a possibility of me becoming a vampire, leaving them didn't seem as bad—I'd get to visit, at first, before they noticed I didn't age… and write letters. But if I were dead, they would suffer more than me. Charlie, especially—Renée had Phil.

Edward was patient, waiting for my next argument, but I was lost—I was wondering what I looked like to him. Broken, and pathetic. But he'd never admit something like that to me, or anyone, for that matter.

I opened my mouth to say something, and then closed it again. He waited patiently, his face wiped clean of all emotion. I tried again, and my voice almost carried itself without fault. Almost.

"If… that's what you want."

He nodded once. "It is."

My whole body went numb. I couldn't feel anything below the neck.

"I would like to ask one favour, though, if that's not too much," he said.

I wonder what he saw on my face, because something flickered across his own face in response. But, before I could identify it, he'd composed his features into the same serene mask.

"Anything," I vowed, my voice faintly stronger.

As I watched, his frozen eyes melted. The gold became liquid again, molten, burning down into mine with an intensity that was overwhelming.

"Don't do anything reckless or stupid," he ordered, no longer detached. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

I nodded helplessly.

His eyes cooled, the distance returned. "I'm thinking of Charlie, of course. He needs you. Take care of yourself—for him."

I nodded again. "I will," I whispered. I would hold on to Charlie. He was all I had left now.

He seemed to relax just a little. "And I will make a promise to you in return." He said. "I promise that this will be the last time I will ever see you, outside of school, of course. I won't put you through anything like this again. You can go on with your life without any more interference from me. I will tell Alice respect your personal space, as well, when she comes home."

I wanted to tell him that it wasn't necessary to tell Alice anything. I didn't want space. But I was sidetracked. _When she comes home_? Where was Alice?

"Where is she?" I instantly regretted my question. If we weren't even on good enough terms to speak to each other, to have a regular conversation, then why should I know where his sister was?

"She and Jasper are visiting our extended family in Denali. Alice and jasper will be home tomorrow, though. I might head up to Tanya's clan myself in a few weeks. Rosalie and Emmett are travelling. On their way to Africa. Esme and Carlisle are home." His voice was full of love for the surrogate family I'd considered my own what seemed like a lifetime ago.

My knees must have started to shake, because the trees were suddenly wobbling. I could hear the blood pounding faster than normal behind my ears. His voice sounded farther away.

He smiled gently. "Don't worry. You're human—your memory is no more than a sieve. Time heals all wounds for your kind."

"And your memories?" I asked. It sounded like there was something stuck in my throat, like I was choking.

"Well"—he hesitated for a short second—"I won't forget. But my kind… we're very easily distracted."

He smiled; the smile was tranquil and it did not touch his eyes.

He took a step away from me. "That's everything, I suppose. We won't bother you again."

I tried to breathe normally. I needed to concentrate, to find a way out of this nightmare.

"Goodbye, Bella," he said in the same quiet, peaceful voice.

"Wait!" I choked out the word, reaching for him, willing my deadened legs to carry me forward.

I thought he was reaching for me, too. But his cold hands locked around my wrists and pinned them to my sides. He leaned down, and pressed his lips very lightly to my forehead for the briefest instant. My eyes closed.

"Take care of yourself," he breathed, cool against my skin.

There was a light, unnatural breeze. My eyes flashed open. The leaves on a small vine maple shuddered with the gentle wind of his passage.

He was gone.

With shaky legs, ignoring the fact that my action was useless, I followed him into the forest.

The evidence of his path had disappeared instantly. There were no footprints, the leaves were still again, but I walked forward without thinking. I could not do anything else. I had to keep moving. If I stopped looking for him, it was over.

Love, life, meaning… over.

I walked and walked. Time made no sense as I pushed slowly through the thick undergrowth. It was hours passing, but also only seconds. Maybe it felt like time had frozen because the forest looked the same no matter how far I went. I started to worry that I was travelling in a circle, a very small circle at that, but I kept going. I stumbled often, and, as it grew darker and darker, I fell often, too.

Finally, I tripped over something—it was black now, I had no idea what caught my foot—and I stayed down. I rolled onto my side, so that I could breathe, and curled up on the wet bracken.

As I lay there, I had a feeling that more time was passing than I realized. I couldn't remember how long it had been since nightfall. Was it always so dark here at night? Surely, as a rule, some little bit of moonlight would filter down through the clouds, through the chinks in the canopy of trees, and find the ground.

Not tonight. Tonight the sky was utterly black. Perhaps there was no moon tonight—a lunar eclipse, a new moon.

A new moon. I shivered, though I wasn't cold.

It was black for a long time before I heard them calling.

**A/N: **

_**Decided to end it there. You probably noticed how I used a lot of the text in Chapter 3, "The End" of New Moon, but I won't be using much of Stephenie Meyer's creation in future chapters. **_

_**The song, "The Story Left Untold" by Every Avenue is amazing, but no, not mine. Same goes for "Where The Story Ends" by The Fray. **_

_**I love to hear from you, so please tell me what you think in a review. All reviewers will get a sneak peak of the next chapter. The best**_—_**most insightful, helpful, fun, crazy**_—_** reviewer will be mentioned in the following chapter. I also love talking to other obsessive Twilight fans like myself, so please, PM or review me about what you thought of Eclipse (the movie), when you're birthdays are (so I can dedicate a chapter to you and maybe even name a character after you), when you're getting married, when you're pregnant, when you get a promotion. Anything! The Twilight community really households such amazing people. **_

_**Story is still unbeta'd, and if you're willing to give it a try, let me know.**_

_**Review!**_

_**-Lily **_


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